Russia says 30 athletes approved for Paralympics

Fans of the Olympic Athletes from Russia cheer during the second period of a preliminary round women’s hockey game against Finland at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)

By Associated PressBy Associated PressFebruary 15

MOSCOW — The Russian Paralympic Committee says 30 of its athletes have been approved to compete as neutrals at next month’s Pyeongchang Games.

The RPC says that the International Paralympic Committee “provisionally registered” the 30 athletes along with seven guides, who accompany blind athletes during competitions.

Decisions on a further three Russian athletes will follow within seven to 10 days, the RPC adds.

The international committee did not confirm the Russian statement, telling The Associated Press that it would not comment before announcing a final roster Feb. 23.

The IPC has previously said it will allow around 30 to 35 Russians to compete at the Paralympics if it’s satisfied they’re clean, as part of measures imposed over doping in Russia. That would be around half the size of the Russian team which competed at home in the 2014 Sochi Paralympics.

The Russians at the Pyeongchang Games will be known as “Neutral Paralympic Athletes”.

The 168 athletes cleared by the IOC to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Games are competing under the “Olympic athletes from Russia” banner.

___

More AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.